Baseball swinging hard to connect with a new generation of fans

The Canadian Little League baseball championship is showcasing the real “boys of summer,” and the sights and sounds are timeless: The dust that hangs in the air after a player’s hard slide into a base; the slow-motion, magnetic tension between pitcher and hitter; the lightning pop of a bat; the comforting “thwack” as a ball hits a glove; the children in the stands devouring hot dogs and popcorn. Even the sound system seems caught in a time warp – playing pop hits from the 1960s.

In our fast-paced digital age, everything about baseball feels old-fashioned. Antiquated. Almost sluggish. Youth participation in the sport has been on the decline in both Canada and the United States. Game 1 of last year’s World Series was the lowest rated ever, and baseball viewers have the oldest median age among North American professional sports, according to ESPN. But don’t tell any of that to the home team, the 11- to 13-year-old players that make up the East Nepean Eagles.

“It’s much slower than other sports,” agrees second baseman Matteo Disipio. “But it’s much more relaxing.”

“You have to be very patient to play the game,” says third-baseman Evan Stucker. “You really have to think ahead.”

When “painfully slow,” the game is at its most dramatic, says Eagles’ coach Mike Crepin. And don’t his players know it.

Alberta’s Nathan Ritchie makes first base as Nepean’s Ben Anderson waits for the ball. The East Nepean Eagles (green) squared off against the Lethbridge, Alberta Red Giants Monday night at South Nepean Park during Canadian Little League Championship Baseball action.

“In a matter of seconds, the game can change dramatically,” says third-baseman Jake Calder. Take Sunday night for example, where the Eagles broke a scoreless tie to score 11 runs in two innings.

For a game steeped in nostalgia and tradition, the key is to hook players at a young age, Crepin says.

“At this point, most of our kids understand the intricacies of the game,” he explains. “The strategy and our focus is really on the grassroots, the house league teams, the five to 10-year-olds … and creating fun-type games we disguise as practices. That’s how [the East Nepean Baseball Association] has become very strong in Ontario and Canada.”

Crepin has coached for 33 years and played the game since age five – addicted ever since he was first shown that you could spin a ball to fool a hitter.

Nepean’s Ben Adams clearly appears to land hand on home plate before being touched by Alberta’s catcher, Teigen Parenteau fat home plate. But the umpire ruled the home run out in a controversial call midway through the game. The East Nepean Eagles squared off against the Lethbridge, Alberta Red Giants Monday night at South Nepean Park during Canadian Little League Championship Baseball action.

Marina Mahoney, a spectator and former baseball mom who coached Ottawa high school teams for 20 years, calls baseball “a more gentlemanly sport.” Even the Little League pledge says, “win or lose, I will always do my best.” Players respect their coaches, their teammates and their opponents, she explains.

Unlike hockey or football, the game isn’t about physically overwhelming your rival. But Mahoney says more Canadian families choose hockey for their kids because they see the sport as “lucrative” and offering a better shot at an athletic career.

So what will it take to rejuvenate Canada’s little league systems? “The Toronto Blue Jays just need to win another World Series,” Crepin only half-jokes, noting youth baseball participation skyrocketed in Canada in the early 1990s around the Jays back-to-back championships. “All of these kids will watch a Jays’ game with me and hang on every pitch, wondering … is he going to throw a changeup or curveball or really cross them up and throw another fastball? They think in those terms.”

The pace of the game also cultivates stronger friendships and comradery on the bench, says Nadia Disipio, Matteo’s mother.

The Eagles congratulate Tristan Godmaire on his home run midway through the game. The East Nepean Eagles (green) squared off against the Lethbridge, Alberta Red Giants Monday night at South Nepean Park during Canadian Little League Championship Baseball action.

“It’s not (about) getting into contact with other players or anything,” her son explains. “During the game, the teams hate each other – but after the game we all get along as friends. Our whole team has already made friends with all the teams.”

Umpire Sam McDonald travelled from California for the Canadian championships. The veteran has coached or umpired for 45 years and has watched participation in youth baseball decline first-hand. He feels that families with baseball roots – both his father and older brother played – are the key to re-energizing both the sport’s player- and fan-bases.

More than anything, the game requires focus, he explains. “The pitcher has to think ahead, the hitter has to think ahead, and the players in the field have to anticipate (what will happen next).” Try selling that to a smartphone culture rooted in non-stop action and immediate gratification; baseball is in tough to compete with the likes of football and basketball.

Tristan Godmaire’s awkward hit turned into a home run for the Eagles. The East Nepean Eagles (green) squared off against the Lethbridge, Alberta Red Giants Monday night at South Nepean Park during Canadian Little League Championship Baseball action.

But most Eagles come from baseball families. Disipio’s dad played baseball and softball; shortstop and pitcher, Michael Stremlaw, is a Jays fan despite his father’s devotion to the Boston Red Sox. Tradition shaped their love of the game.

What do players have to say to critics who call the game slow or boring?

“Stick it!” Stremlaw shouts. “People hate the game because they don’t play it. They don’t understand it at all.”

“You have to know the game of baseball to (appreciate) it,” Calder says. “You have to understand the strategy.”

The crowd cheers Tristan Godmaire’s home run hit. The East Nepean Eagles (green) squared off against the Lethbridge, Alberta Red Giants Monday night at South Nepean Park during Canadian Little League Championship Baseball action.

After the game, the team gathers on one knee in right field. Even after their blowout victory, the players remain humble, attentive and deferential to Crepin. “I talked about what can we do to improve, what can we take away from this to help us be better ball players tomorrow,” he says.

Respect for opponents is a must – “we bench kids for trash talking and stuff like that” – but when asked whether they might generously let their opponents score the occasional run (two of their first three games were shutouts), the verdict among players is unanimous.

“No!” “Never!” “No chance!”

“I want to play baseball as long as I can,” Calder says thoughtfully. “Until my arm blows out or I’m too old. Even if I don’t make university level or something like that, I’ll play beer league or … men’s league.”

That sentiment is echoed by every Little League player, and provides hope for the sport’s future.

Nepean pitcher, Ben Adams winds up for the pitch from the mound. The East Nepean Eagles (green) squared off against the Lethbridge, Alberta Red Giants Monday night at South Nepean Park during Canadian Little League Championship Baseball action.

Nepean Coach Mark Keeping gives a pep talk to his team between innings. The East Nepean Eagles (green) squared off against the Lethbridge, Alberta Red Giants Monday night at South Nepean Park during Canadian Little League Championship Baseball action.

Nepean’s Michael Stremlaw struggles to catch the ball at second base as Alberta’s Ty Wevers slides in. The East Nepean Eagles (green) squared off against the Lethbridge, Alberta Red Giants Monday night at South Nepean Park during Canadian Little League Championship Baseball action.

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